fontman
07-23-06, 08:22 AM
Fallen Marine's promise to aid girl hits roadblock
By ROGER W. HOSKINS
MODESTO BEE STAFF WRITER
July 21, 2006, 04:26:08 AM PDT
Some miracles are harder than others to come by.
On Wednesday, it looked like the Marines, a congressman and the Blue Star Mothers had moved enough medical mountains to keep a fallen Modesto Marine's promise to save a dying Iraqi girl.
On Thursday, an adult dose of reality had hundreds, if not thousands, holding their breath for the fate of 12-year-old Hamade Hadeal.
Military physicians are consulting with doctors worldwide, trying to decide whether the child can stand up to travel and the ordeal of the liver-kidney transplants that likely are needed to save her life.
Marine Lt. Col. Larry White, who along with Navy Cmdr. Tara Zieber, is treating Hamade, wrote an e-mail explaining the extenuating circumstances of the case. The letter was sent to Debbie Katsounakis, president of the Central Valley Chapter of Blue Star Mothers and Families.
Katsounakis was leading a full-court press to help the girl on Tuesday and Wednesday. She sent fellow mothers, hospitals and lawmakers word of the girl's plight and her connection to Marine Lance Cpl. Aaron W. Simons of Modesto. Simons had promised fellow Marines he would save the girl, even if he had to pay for her care himself.
White's update on Hamade said: "The outpouring of goodwill in this case is heartening, because it reflects the generosity and caring spirit of the American people. We should be very cautious in how we represent this case, however. Raising some funds through donations is one thing, but her long-term care will likely require significant, sustained provision of resources (we're talking hundreds of thousands, if not in the millions here) and in all likelihood, her prognosis may still be poor."
White and doctors from Jordan, India and the United States are deciding what to do and where it can be done. One of the sticking points is the expense of anti-rejection drugs Hamade will need for the rest of her life. White indicated they might cost $15,000 a month.
Katsounakis said she still believes the miracle will happen. She said she is motivated by Simons, the young Marine who died in an April 24 rocket attack on his base in northern Iraq.
"We owe it to Aaron and his sacrifice and his family," she said.
In two days, Katsounakis received hundreds of replies to her appeal. A Tracy doctor offered to help bring the child to Stanford. An Indian immigrant offered to pay $5,000 toward getting Hamade to a leading specialist in his home country.
With the help of Rep. Dennis Cardoza,D-Merced,Hamade almost was on her way to Children's Hospital Central California in Madera. Cardoza had been alerted by Chip Langman, a staffer in his Merced office. Langman's mother received the Blue Stars Mothers' appeal and sent it to her son.
The e-mail tree went from California to India and Iraq and back. Katsounakis said she has received more than 150 responses and the number is growing.
It has been a rocky road for Hamade and those who want to help her.
Since late April, Marines trying to make good on Simons' pledge to help the girl have met one roadblock after another. Iraqi doctors in Baghdad refused to treat Hamade and sent her home to die.
On Wednesday, the Blue Star Mothers, Cardoza and Children's Hospital Central California tried to come to the rescue.
Cardoza gave credit to his staff and said it is always a privilege to help, whether someone is in trouble overseas or needs an assist like this. "When we hear about cases like this, you have to have compassion.
"We have a mom who lost her son and a girl with horrific problems," he said. "A lot of people are going out of the way to fulfill the dying wish of this soldier. Far be it from me to get in the way."
Cardoza noted he was lucky enough to live in a country where he could get the kidney surgery he needed when he was 6 years old.
"The reality is there is a sick girl in the Middle East and she's going to die unless we bring her to America," he said. "If I can help her or some other child, I will."
John Bray, Cardoza's aide in Washington, said Thursday that everyone now is taking a step back to let the doctors decide what's best.
Even if Cardoza hadn't received word through Langman, he certainly would have heard about it from Aaron Simons' family.
Charlotte Simons said she and her husband forwarded the Iraqi girl's story to everyone they knew, including Washington lawmakers.
"When Aaron died, all these officials sent us nice plaques and said they wanted us to call if we ever wanted anything," said Aaron's mother. "We told them, 'This is what we want.'"
John Simons said the first time that he and his wife learned of Hamade's story and Aaron's desire to help her was at his son's funeral.
His son's battalion commander, Lt. Col. Nick Marano, wrote on the unit's Web site that the young Marine had vowed to help the girl. Marano's pledge to fulfill Aaron's promise was relayed to the family at the funeral.
The elder Simons said he and his wife learned more when his son's best friend, Lance Cpl. Ian Kutner, wrote them a letter.
"When we were deployed, Aaron wanted to speak Arabic," Kutner wrote. "We went to the Arabic side of (our) camp. We heard about a young girl (who was dying) but none of the other Marines had done anything (but talk about it). Aaron and me, we made a pact.
"Whatever happened to us, even if we had to pay for it ourselves, we would save this little girl." The two Marines made almost daily visits to help Hamade and her family.
Navy physician Lt. Mark Rasmussen tried to help the Marines and Hamade by seeking help in the Central Valley. He was raised in Visalia. In subsequent e-mails and phone interviews, he talked about problems beyond Hamade.
"There's another little girl with heart failure who needs surgery. A doctor at another base is working with the Mayo Brothers Clinic," he reported. "She'll die within a year without corrective heart surgery." He also said many children suffer from malnutrition because they walk barefoot and pick up parasites. He said for a pair of sandals and pennies worth of vitamins, the malnutrition problem could be solved.
"There's a lot of tragedy here and no way to handle it all," Rasmussen said.
For those who want to help Hamade Hadeal or other Iraqi children with sandals or vitamins, contact Debbie Katsounakis at 209-410-2467 or the Simons family by e-mail at simons.j@sbcglobal.net.
By ROGER W. HOSKINS
MODESTO BEE STAFF WRITER
July 21, 2006, 04:26:08 AM PDT
Some miracles are harder than others to come by.
On Wednesday, it looked like the Marines, a congressman and the Blue Star Mothers had moved enough medical mountains to keep a fallen Modesto Marine's promise to save a dying Iraqi girl.
On Thursday, an adult dose of reality had hundreds, if not thousands, holding their breath for the fate of 12-year-old Hamade Hadeal.
Military physicians are consulting with doctors worldwide, trying to decide whether the child can stand up to travel and the ordeal of the liver-kidney transplants that likely are needed to save her life.
Marine Lt. Col. Larry White, who along with Navy Cmdr. Tara Zieber, is treating Hamade, wrote an e-mail explaining the extenuating circumstances of the case. The letter was sent to Debbie Katsounakis, president of the Central Valley Chapter of Blue Star Mothers and Families.
Katsounakis was leading a full-court press to help the girl on Tuesday and Wednesday. She sent fellow mothers, hospitals and lawmakers word of the girl's plight and her connection to Marine Lance Cpl. Aaron W. Simons of Modesto. Simons had promised fellow Marines he would save the girl, even if he had to pay for her care himself.
White's update on Hamade said: "The outpouring of goodwill in this case is heartening, because it reflects the generosity and caring spirit of the American people. We should be very cautious in how we represent this case, however. Raising some funds through donations is one thing, but her long-term care will likely require significant, sustained provision of resources (we're talking hundreds of thousands, if not in the millions here) and in all likelihood, her prognosis may still be poor."
White and doctors from Jordan, India and the United States are deciding what to do and where it can be done. One of the sticking points is the expense of anti-rejection drugs Hamade will need for the rest of her life. White indicated they might cost $15,000 a month.
Katsounakis said she still believes the miracle will happen. She said she is motivated by Simons, the young Marine who died in an April 24 rocket attack on his base in northern Iraq.
"We owe it to Aaron and his sacrifice and his family," she said.
In two days, Katsounakis received hundreds of replies to her appeal. A Tracy doctor offered to help bring the child to Stanford. An Indian immigrant offered to pay $5,000 toward getting Hamade to a leading specialist in his home country.
With the help of Rep. Dennis Cardoza,D-Merced,Hamade almost was on her way to Children's Hospital Central California in Madera. Cardoza had been alerted by Chip Langman, a staffer in his Merced office. Langman's mother received the Blue Stars Mothers' appeal and sent it to her son.
The e-mail tree went from California to India and Iraq and back. Katsounakis said she has received more than 150 responses and the number is growing.
It has been a rocky road for Hamade and those who want to help her.
Since late April, Marines trying to make good on Simons' pledge to help the girl have met one roadblock after another. Iraqi doctors in Baghdad refused to treat Hamade and sent her home to die.
On Wednesday, the Blue Star Mothers, Cardoza and Children's Hospital Central California tried to come to the rescue.
Cardoza gave credit to his staff and said it is always a privilege to help, whether someone is in trouble overseas or needs an assist like this. "When we hear about cases like this, you have to have compassion.
"We have a mom who lost her son and a girl with horrific problems," he said. "A lot of people are going out of the way to fulfill the dying wish of this soldier. Far be it from me to get in the way."
Cardoza noted he was lucky enough to live in a country where he could get the kidney surgery he needed when he was 6 years old.
"The reality is there is a sick girl in the Middle East and she's going to die unless we bring her to America," he said. "If I can help her or some other child, I will."
John Bray, Cardoza's aide in Washington, said Thursday that everyone now is taking a step back to let the doctors decide what's best.
Even if Cardoza hadn't received word through Langman, he certainly would have heard about it from Aaron Simons' family.
Charlotte Simons said she and her husband forwarded the Iraqi girl's story to everyone they knew, including Washington lawmakers.
"When Aaron died, all these officials sent us nice plaques and said they wanted us to call if we ever wanted anything," said Aaron's mother. "We told them, 'This is what we want.'"
John Simons said the first time that he and his wife learned of Hamade's story and Aaron's desire to help her was at his son's funeral.
His son's battalion commander, Lt. Col. Nick Marano, wrote on the unit's Web site that the young Marine had vowed to help the girl. Marano's pledge to fulfill Aaron's promise was relayed to the family at the funeral.
The elder Simons said he and his wife learned more when his son's best friend, Lance Cpl. Ian Kutner, wrote them a letter.
"When we were deployed, Aaron wanted to speak Arabic," Kutner wrote. "We went to the Arabic side of (our) camp. We heard about a young girl (who was dying) but none of the other Marines had done anything (but talk about it). Aaron and me, we made a pact.
"Whatever happened to us, even if we had to pay for it ourselves, we would save this little girl." The two Marines made almost daily visits to help Hamade and her family.
Navy physician Lt. Mark Rasmussen tried to help the Marines and Hamade by seeking help in the Central Valley. He was raised in Visalia. In subsequent e-mails and phone interviews, he talked about problems beyond Hamade.
"There's another little girl with heart failure who needs surgery. A doctor at another base is working with the Mayo Brothers Clinic," he reported. "She'll die within a year without corrective heart surgery." He also said many children suffer from malnutrition because they walk barefoot and pick up parasites. He said for a pair of sandals and pennies worth of vitamins, the malnutrition problem could be solved.
"There's a lot of tragedy here and no way to handle it all," Rasmussen said.
For those who want to help Hamade Hadeal or other Iraqi children with sandals or vitamins, contact Debbie Katsounakis at 209-410-2467 or the Simons family by e-mail at simons.j@sbcglobal.net.